Leonid Vitaliy Chernomordik, Ph.D.

Membrane Fusion Mediated by Protein Fusogens

Membrane remodeling reactions are highly coordinated processes governed by specialized protein machinery and the lipid composition of the participating membranes. While individual proteins have highly specific “personalities,” lipid bilayers share general physical properties, including an inherent resistance to bending and disruption. Our laboratory’s long-term goal is to understand how proteins overcome these barriers to actively remodel lipid bilayers during critical cellular events. We approach this problem by first analyzing the physical forces that drive changes in membrane topology and then identifying the molecular mechanisms that generate and regulate these forces. Ultimately, understanding these mechanisms across diverse membrane-remodeling processes may reveal common mechanistic principles and provide new approaches for controlling membrane remodeling. In line with this goal, our recent studies focus on the mechanisms of cell–cell fusion in human bone and muscle development and regeneration.

Dr. Leonid Chernomordik earned his Ph.D. in 1979 from the Frumkin Institute of Electrochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, followed by his Doctor of Sciences degree—the highest research degree awarded in Russia—from Moscow State University in 1991. After 15 years of research at the Frumkin Institute, he joined the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1991, where he currently leads the Section on Membrane Biology.

As a cell biologist and biophysicist, Dr. Chernomordik focuses his research on biomembrane structure and function. His laboratory’s studies on membrane fusion have identified conserved pathways of membrane remodeling that underlie diverse, fundamental processes including viral infection, exocytosis, and fertilization. His current research investigates the mechanisms of cell fusion during development and the entry of enveloped viruses. This work aims to uncover how proteins drive membrane fusion in normal physiology and how these processes can be controlled in genetic and metabolic diseases linked to defective or dysregulated fusion. Additionally, his research addresses infectious diseases where pathogens exploit membrane fusion to enter cells.